Life is what you make of it. You can make it easy on yourself or

Hear, O children of tomorrow, the teaching of the sage Deep Roy: “Life is what you make of it. You can make it easy on yourself or you can make it hard.” These words are not empty, but carry the weight of ages, the truth that has been whispered by philosophers, poets, and prophets alike. For life is not merely given to us as stone, fixed and immovable; rather, it is clay, soft and yielding, shaped by our own hands, molded by our choices, and hardened in the fire of time.

Know this: the world will lay trials at your feet. Storms will rage, betrayals will cut, and losses will burn like fire upon the skin. But in the midst of such trials, you hold a power most divine—the power to decide whether these trials will crush you, or whether you will rise above them. To declare that life is what you make of it is to proclaim the sovereignty of the human spirit, which no prison can fully bind, no tyrant can wholly conquer.

Consider the story of Viktor Frankl, a man imprisoned in the abyss of Auschwitz, where cruelty reached its darkest depths. Stripped of freedom, family, and dignity, he yet discovered an inner truth: that while men may take all else, they cannot take the freedom to choose one’s own response. He chose meaning over despair, and in doing so, he proved the eternal truth of these words. In the darkest hell, he found a way to make life bearable, even luminous. This is the heroic triumph of spirit over circumstance.

But beware, for the opposite is also true. A man may walk through gardens of plenty, surrounded by food, wealth, and comfort, and yet make his life a torment. If he chooses bitterness, envy, or constant complaint, he fashions chains heavier than iron. Thus, even in abundance, life becomes hard, not because fate willed it, but because the soul chose it. Life can be easy or hard, not by accident, but by the posture of the heart.

What then is the lesson? It is this: cultivate a spirit that bends toward gratitude and courage. See difficulty as the whetstone that sharpens you, not as the enemy that defeats you. Train your mind to seek meaning in every circumstance, and your heart to cling to hope even when the night is long. In this way, though the road may be steep, you will not stumble as one oppressed, but stride forward as one victorious.

Practical wisdom follows from this teaching. When faced with trial, ask yourself: “How shall I make of this what is worthy?” In anger, choose patience. In despair, choose meaning. In loss, choose gratitude for what was given. Let each day be a workshop where you sculpt your soul, for you are both the craftsman and the clay. And remember: no circumstance, however harsh, has final power over you—it is your choice that shapes the outcome.

Therefore, O seeker, carry this truth as a torch in your hand: life is what you make of it. You can make it easy by yielding to wisdom, or hard by resisting it with bitterness. The choice lies ever within your grasp, as close as breath, as constant as heartbeat. Choose well, for by your choosing, you write the story of your own life, and carve your name upon the scroll of eternity.